Panic Attack and Anxiety Attack - Are They the Same?

Introduction:

A panic attack or disorder is a type of anxiety attack. In a panic attack, a person may suffer from sudden feelings of intense anxiety, fears, or terror, which reach a peak within a few minutes. Anxiety attack is characterized by all these symptoms and other symptoms such as excessive worry or persistent fear about everyday situations.

What Is an Anxiety Attack?

Persistent and excessive fear and worry about everyday situations and work activities is an anxiety attack. This can be difficult to control and can last for a long time. The symptoms generally start in childhood or teenager and can continue till adulthood.

What Are the Types of Anxiety Attacks?

• Anxiety disorder due to medical conditions includes intense panic or anxiety symptoms due to physical health problems.

• Agoraphobia: A type of anxiety disorder in which a person is frightened or worried about visiting places or facing situations that can cause panic or make the person feel trapped, embarrassed, or helpless.

• Panic Attacks or Disorder: Repeated episodes of sudden feelings of intense anxiety, fear, or terror, which can peak within a few minutes. There can be feelings of shortness of breath, chest pain, and fluttering or pounding of the heart.

• Generalized Anxiety Attacks: Excessive and persistent worry about activities and events that are very ordinary or routine. The worry is usually out of proportion to the actual circumstances, difficult to control, and affects how a person can feel physically. It generally occurs with other anxiety disorders or depression.

• Separation Anxiety Disorder: It is usually a childhood disorder characterized by the anxiety of separation from parents or someone who had a parental role. This is related to a child's mental and physical development.

• Social Anxiety Disorder: High levels of anxiety, terror, avoidance of social situations because of embarrassment, concern about being judged or observed negativity, and self-consciousness.

• Selective Mutism: Consistent inability to speak in situations such as school, at home, or near close family members and friends. This can affect a child's mental and physical growth.

• Specific Phobias: Major anxiety reactions when exposed to any object or situation. Phobias can also provoke panic attacks in some individuals.

• Substance-Induced Anxiety Disorders: It is characterized by signs of intense panic and anxiety due to drug misuse, withdrawal from drugs, taking some specific medications, or exposure to any toxic substance.

• Unspecified Anxiety Disorder: The phobias or anxiety attacks that do not meet any exact criteria but are significant enough to be disruptive and distressing.

What Are the Symptoms of Anxiety Attacks?

• Feeling of nervousness, tension, and restlessness.

• Hyperventilation (rapid breathing).

• Increased heart rate.

• Having a sense of impending danger, panic, or doom.

• Sweating and trembling.

• Difficulty concentrating on any situation or thought other than the present worry.

• Tiredness and weakness in the body.

• Difficulty in sleeping leads to insomnia.

• Gastrointestinal problems such as improper digestion or gas and bloating of the stomach.

• Urge to avoid things and situations which lead to anxiety.

What Are the Causes of an Anxiety Attack?

Though the causes of anxiety attacks are not completely understood, life experiences like traumatic events can trigger anxiety disorders. In addition, some medical conditions can also lead to anxiety attacks.

Some of them are,

• Diabetes: Increased blood glucose levels lead to many complications such as ketoacidosis, poor body growth, or excess urination, which may cause social anxiety.

• Heart diseases.

• Thyroid disorders such as hyperthyroid, in which the levels of thyroid hormones increase.

• Drug withdrawal or misuse.

• Respiratory disorders such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma.

• Alcohol withdrawal.

• Withdrawal of some anti-anxiety medications like benzodiazepines.

• Irritable bowel syndrome and chronic pain.

• Rare tumors can produce fight-or-flight hormones.

• Side effects of certain medicines can also lead to anxiety.

What Risk Factors Lead to an Anxiety Attack?

The conditions and situations which can increase the chance of developing anxiety are:

• Stress Due to Illness: Any chronic or serious illness can lead to worry about the issues such as treatment and future health.

• Trauma: Experience of trauma or abuse increases the risk of anxiety. Witnessing any serious traumatic incident can also trigger it. This can happen in any age group.

• Stress-Build Up: Continuous thinking and building up stress due to any routine activity or problem can lead to anxiety.

• Personality: Some people have a personality type of overthinking and worrying about everything. These kinds of personalities are very rare, much prone to developing anxiety.

• Blood Relatives With Anxiety: Anxiety can run in families from generation to generation.

What Are Complications of Anxiety?

• Substance Misuse: Some people may be abused by drugs or get addicted to substances to overcome their anxiety. This can lead to further complications.

• Insomnia: Difficulty in sleeping, sleepless nights.

• Depression: The most common complication of anxiety is depression.

• Headaches and chronic pains.

• Problems in social events or schools lead to social isolation.

• Poor quality of life.

• Suicide: Some very severe cases of anxiety can lead to suicide.

How to Diagnose Anxiety?

It is very tough to figure out the type and the exact cause of anxiety. However, proper psychological evaluation and checking the criteria on DSM-5 can help to identify the condition.

• Psychological Evaluation: Discussion of thoughts, behavior, and feelings help to understand the mental state of the person.

• Dsm-5 Criteria: DSM-5 stands for diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. The American Psychiatric Association published it to diagnose an anxiety disorder.

What Is the Treatment for Anxiety Attacks?

The treatment of anxiety disorders includes psychotherapy and medications.

• Psychotherapy: Psychological counseling by a therapist can help to reduce your anxiety symptoms. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is the most effective form of psychological therapy for anxiety attacks. It is a short-term treatment. It helps teach specific skills to improve the symptoms and gradual exposure to avoided activities.

• Medications: Several medications are used to relieve the symptoms, depending on the type of anxiety disorder. Some of them are:

1. Antidepressants.

2. Anti-anxiety drugs.

3. Sedatives or beta-blockers for short-term relief.

Conclusion:

Panic attacks are a type of anxiety attack in which the person undergoes a fear, terror, or intense anxiety which can reach its maximum intensity in just a few minutes. As a result, the person also suffers heart-pounding, hyperventilation (increased breathing), and heart rate. Anxiety disorders are persistent fear and worry about common work and daily routines. It can be of several types, such as panic disorders, social phobia, agoraphobia, or generalized anxiety attacks. The treatment for panic attacks and anxiety attacks includes psychotherapy and medications like antidepressants or anti-anxiety drugs.